
Introduction to the Psalms
Singing ith The Psalmist
The book of Psalms is one of the most popular books of the Old Testament. For
one thing, the psalms are poetry, and the language of poetry has widespread appeal.
For another thing, the psalms reflect the wisdom, praise, and prayers of men of God,
chief among them being King David. Our personal expressions of sorrow, suffer-
ing, despair, confidence, victory, and praise are a distant echo of those so eloquent-
ly expressed by the psalmist. What he says is important to us who would like to fol-
low in his footsteps of dedication and service.
Because there are so many psalms, our Bible book curriculum assigns two
quarters to study a representative selection. This quarter, after an introductory les-
son, we will study one psalm each week, focusing on the major topic dealt with in
that psalm. The psalms that have been selected from the first half of the book will
be studied from the standpoint of practical application to our lives. The important
question considered each week will be, What is the psalmist saying, and how does
his experience apply to us?
On what basis have we chosen the psalms for individual study? In some cases,
we have bowed to popular appeal, as in the case of the Shepherd's Psalm. In other
cases, we have been influenced by the recommendation of Ellen G. White that the
psalm should be studied by those who live near the end of time. In all cases, we
have felt that the psalmist has something important to say to us, something we ought
to note, and something to sing about!
"Eight names of persons occurring in the superscriptions to the psalms appear
to be the names of authors, contributors, compilers, musicians, or others associated
with the composition, compilation, and use of the sacred lyrics. The names are David,
Asaph, Korah, Moses, Heman, Ethan, Solomon, and Jeduthun."—SDA
Bible Com-
mentary,
vol. 3, p. 616. Seventy-three psalms, scattered throughout the five parts of
the book, are said to be "of David." This does not necessarily mean that David
wrote all seventy-three, but it does suggest that David was the most frequent author.
Because there were other authors in addition to David, we will refer to each author
as the "psalmist."
It is widely accepted that the psalms were written over a period of a thousand
years from the time of Moses to the period following the Exile. The general theme
can be summarized: "Man's extremity is God's opportunity."
The Greek word for "psalms" means "sacred songs sung to musical accompani-
ment." The standard Hebrew title means "praises." "The Psalms are poems and
are to be enjoyed as such.
The form is
music (in poetry), and the
substance
is praise.
A Psalm is a poem that is sung as an expression of praise to God."
—R. B.
Allen,
Praise! A Matter of Life and Breath
(Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1980), p. 27.
OVERVIEW—Psalms
Book I
Book II
Book III
Book IV
Book V
Psalms
1-41
Psalms
42-72
Psalms
73-89
Psalms
90-106
Psalms
107-150